[PROJECT NAME] Smart Telecommunication Quarantine Scenario & Ship Sanitation Control Certificate Inspection and Issuance
[PROJECT OVERVIEW] Transport vehicle quarantine requires customs officers to conduct on-site inspections and issue paper certificates afterward, making it difficult to balance enforcement effectiveness with quarantine efficiency while increasing clearance costs for enterprises. To address this, China Customs developed smart telecommunication quarantine devices leveraging 5G and AI technologies. These enable remote sanitation quarantine, symptom screening, and epidemiological surveys for inbound transport vehicles, completing inspections without physical boarding and issuing digital certificates. This model complies with international quarantine standards, reducing sanitation quarantine time by 80% on average. Particularly during global pandemics, it could minimize cross-border disease transmission risks while maximizing international trade logistics flow and port clearance efficiency.
[PROJECT DETAILS]
I. Key Approaches
1. Development of Smart Devices. Utilizing 5G communication, AI, infrared thermometry, video interaction, and speech recognition technologies, a series of smart devices were developed. These include mobile inspection terminals interconnected with on-site equipment such as remote temperature screening/epidemiological survey devices and head-mounted smart monitors. This enables remote sanitation quarantine inspections, breaking the spatial limitations of traditional "face-to-face" supervision.
2. Innovative Quarantine Model. The smart telecommunication-based quarantine model was established, balancing stringent enforcement with operational efficiency. Transport vehicles can undergo quarantine procedures during port entry, and those cleared of issues can commence operations immediately upon arrival—achieving “in-transit supervision” and “on-arrival inspection”. The model also streamlines ship inspections by using a series of devices and introducing a digital version of the Ship Sanitation Control Exemption Certificate, allowing port authorities to verify and trace information by scanning the certificate’s QR code.
3. Risk-Based Tiered Supervision. For low-risk transport vehicles, we adopted the smart telecommunication quarantine model to minimize non-productive downtime for ports, shipping companies, and related enterprises. For high-risk cases or anomalies detected during smart inspections, emergency teams were dispatched immediately for on-board intervention.
II. Achievements
1. More Precise Quarantine Inspection. This model ensures both stringent enforcement and streamlined clearance. Screening can be completed without physical boarding, while high-risk cases or anomalies detected through smart telecommunication quarantine trigger on-site inspections by officers. This significantly improves the accuracy of public health risk control. Approximately 97.6% of low-risk transport vehicles pass quarantine without issues, eliminating the need for boarding.
2. Faster and More Efficient Clearance. Eligible transport vehicles can undergo remote sanitation inspections without waiting for officers to board, allowing immediate loading and unloading operations. The average time for sanitation inspections across all transport types has been reduced by 80%, greatly improving cargo clearance and turnover efficiency at ports, berths, and terminals.
3. Optimized Workforce Allocation. Based on controllable risks, remote sanitation inspections and enforcement for transport vehicles maintain strict oversight while minimizing unnecessary travel for customs officers, boosting operational efficiency. This model reduces boarding inspections by approximately 50,000 instances annually.
III. Scaling and Application
As of May 2025, the system has been deployed at 68 ports across China and is ready for broader adoption. Its adaptable design makes it suitable for reference and application by customs authorities in other countries/regions. So far, China Customs has developed explosion-proof, wrist-worn, and endoscopic devices, ensuring the model’s effectiveness across diverse geographic and operational scenarios. The model is now being extended to animal/plant quarantine and cargo supervision. Through the Xiamen Branch of the WHO Port Cooperating Center, a VR training platform for ship sanitation inspections has been launched to share China Customs’ experience and achievements in ship sanitation certificate verification and issuance.